Overview

Olive Yang was a widely mythologized genderqueer lesbian opium-pioneer in the 1950s heyday of the Golden Triangle. After escaping an arranged marriage with a noble cousin, Olive felt that she had no choice but to lead a life of banditry with an anti-communist rebel army supported by the CIA. As her smuggling empire grew, she became so powerful and infamous that novelists were inspired to write about her evil ruthlessness and beauty. Yet, Olive's real life and identity remained a mystery to many. Opium Queen is a journey to uncover the true story behind the propaganda and legends. Declassified intelligence documents portray Olive as a critical operator in one of the most important fronts of the clandestine Cold War against China. Through extensive interviews with the Yang family, Olive emerges as a complex anti-hero, searching for a way to live as an open homosexual in an era when such a lifestyle was considered deeply shameful in Burma. The great military alliances that facilitate narcotics traffic in Myanmar today are Olive's lasting legacy in the Golden Triangle, as is the disenfranchisement of the people of Kokang. Through the story of Olive's formidable life, Opium Queen examines historic events that underpinned critical diplomatic relationships between the U.S., Myanmar, and China and were at the root of Myanmar's current political crisis.

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9781666634167

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Gabrielle Paluch is an investigative journalist who spent six years living in Myanmar and Thailand, reporting on both countries for Voice of America, the LA Times, and other publications on a wide range of subjects including natural disasters, coups, trafficking, parliamentary politics, religious violence, civil war, and foreign investment. She is currently a contributor to McClatchy's investigative unit, focused on real estate and money laundering investigations. She is based in New York City. Hayden Bishop is an actor and voiceover artist who has worked with multiple big-name brands, including Disney, Vera Bradley, Chick-fil-A, and Habitat for Humanity. For more than ten years, she has trained and performed on camera, on stage, and behind the mic, and her voice can be heard on numerous audiobooks and video games.

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